Congressmen knock on Senate’s door
Their objective is to implicate me as an alleged drug coddler — embattled senator
SEN. Leila de Lima said yesterday she is ready to face the consequences of ignoring the show-cause order issued by a House of Representatives (HoR) panel urging her to explain why she should not be cited in contempt for barring former security aide and alleged drug money bagman Ronnie Dayan from appearing before a congressional probe.
“Their objective is to implicate me as an alleged drug coddler. I’m willing to live with the consequences of this act of defiance,” de Lima said.
Two congressmen belonging to the House Committee on Justice — House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas and Committee chair Rep. Reynaldo Umali — finally served a show-cause order against de Lima at the office of Senate Secretary Lutgardo Barbo yesterday.
De Lima reiterated that she would not honor the show-cause
On Ronnie Dayan’s charges against her, de Lima says, ‘“Even if he did that to me, I am not the type of person to destroy a person who was once part of my life...’
order and instead refer it to Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.
“I am not honoring any process or notice from the House committee because I am not recognizing the jurisdiction of that House committee over me,” she said.
‘Just an advice’
She stood by her advice to Dayan to skip the congressional probe to avoid being humiliated by the congressmen.
The neophyte senator, meanwhile, said that despite Dayan’s claim that she accepted money in exchange for protection of drug lords, she could not do the same to him.
“Even if he did that to me, I am not the type of person to destroy a person who was once part of my life. That’s not me. I won’t do that to him,” de Lima said.
She further said she knew that Dayan was “forced to lie” for a reason.
Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Chair of the Senate committee on ethics, meanwhile, said that the show -cause order should have been immediately directed to de Lima instead of being coursed through the Senate secretary.
“What can be referred to the committee on ethics is a complaint but that’s not a complaint, that’s an order to answer why a person should not be cited in contempt. It should go straight to Senator de Lima),” he said.
Sen. Francis Escudero, also a member of the Senate committee on ethics, said that the committee could not act on the show-cause order because it is addressed to de Lima and not the Senate committee .“… There is nothing for the Senate to act on because it’s addressed to Senator De Lima, not the Senate,” Escudero said.